1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a drying device and to an image forming apparatus.
2. Related Art
In image forming apparatuses, a known liquid droplet jetting recording type image forming apparatus includes liquid droplet jetting heads with multiple nozzles arranged in a row. Paper (a recording medium) is conveyed with respect to the liquid droplet jetting heads to form an image (including text) on the paper by jetting liquid droplets of for example ink from the nozzles towards the paper.
Processing performed after image forming in such liquid droplet jetting recording type image forming apparatuses reduces paper distortion (curling and cockling) caused by moisture in the liquid droplets by drying the paper onto which the liquid droplets have been jetted with a drying device.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 2011-224932 discloses a configuration wherein external air is introduced into a drying device from the outside of an image forming apparatus, and the external air is blown as drying air onto a recording medium by a fan provided to the side of the recording medium that is being conveyed along a conveyance path.
JP-A No. 2009-45861 and JP-A No. 2010-125819 disclose a configuration wherein air inside an image forming apparatus is introduced into a drying device, and this air is blown as drying air onto the front face of a recording medium that is being conveyed on a conveyance path.
However, in the configuration of JP-A No. 2011-224932, the rate at which drying air is blown onto the recording medium is not uniform across the width direction of the recording medium since the drying air is blown from the side of the recording medium.
In the configurations of JP-A No. 2009-45861 and JP-A No. 2010-125819, the moisture content of the drying air increases since moist air inside the image forming apparatus is blown onto the recording medium as drying air.